BXBX NOVEL Chapter 172 172 - Death Embraces All
The search for demons was in full swing now that the emperor had declared handsome prizes for any who could bring him the head of demons residing within the Marquis kingdom. And even then, the head of demons living in Laria was said to be most desired as the former duke's identity was now confirmed to be the root of all problems.
Yet as an army of prospecting adventurers came storming into the duchy, they saw nothing but abandoned buildings and rotting goods laid out in front of roadside shops. The parties of adventurers kept wandering around the cities trying to find anyone who could be taken for a demon, but no matter where they looked, only disappointment found them on every end.
"Let's head to the castle, what do you say?" Followed by a pair of female archers and a mage, the only male swordsman of the group decided to take his group to the castle.
They weren't just looking for demons, but anything they could plunder, be it gold or anything else that had any luster. On their way to the castle, they'd hoped to see riches beyond measure in the treasury. Driven by their greed they quickly began scanning every room, every floor, and upturned all paintings and sculptures that'd been up for centuries without ever being touched.
Not recognizing the worth of art, their eyes simply scavenged for wealth, and that is when they ran into the giant door of the sealed ice dragon. Gathering all his companions, the leader had hoped to finally find something of great value inside. But little did they know, their doom was waiting within those sealed walls.
The moment they stepped into the dark, a breath of cold chilled their bodies. While shuddering in place, they caught the sight of a blizzard, reflected into the eyes of a monster peering at them through the dark.
"I was told that many brave warriors would come to this place," slowly walking out into the light, Klian revealed his dragon form to the squeamish adventurers. "But it seems like I'd have to make do with you people to test my recovered strength."
What followed next caused the land of Laria to turn into a tundra once more.
***
The meeting with a devil casually residing in the same inn as them, made Haruki's servants feel quite conflicted. On one hand, they couldn't condemn the devil girl for simply sharing the place, on the other they felt an intrinsic repulsion towards her kind.
Contrary to the belief of many, devils and demons were not at all similar. While demons were the offsprings of demon lords, devils were monsters much akin to the likeness of vampires.
"Are you sure this place is safe?" Tucked in her futon beside Haruki, Asuka asked Fay laying on the side of her master.
"Who knows at this point?" Her reply was, to say the least, concerning.
"I mean, we can't trust her just as much as she can't trust us, right?" Said Riley from her futon on Asuka's right.
"I'm just worried how she made us sit by just ordering us to," although it felt like she was the one worried about it, Fay and Riley were just as much concerned because of that ability.
"Just get some rest you two…" Wrapping her hand around Stella, Fay went to sleep just like her daughter.
Making use of miasmic flytrap to keep the door shut, Asuka snuggled up to Haruki's body and slipped into slumber as well. Still a bit anxious about the whole thing, Riley tried to fall asleep, but just couldn't.
'Maybe I should take a stroll?' Despite knowing that it wasn't the best idea, she left the room and headed to where the devil girl was supposed to be sleeping. Even though the sliding paper door, she could easily see the silhouette of the girl sleeping inside one of the rooms. 'What the hell am I doing?'
Driven solely by her instinct for carnage, she wanted to walk in and drive her saber through the devil's throat. However, since she wasn't portraying any real signs of danger, Riley couldn't bring herself to take that risk.
"What are you doing?" Calling from behind her, Ophilia scared Riley straight.
"Eekkk!" Quickly turning around, she noticed the witch standing behind her. "Oh lord, I thought it was a ghost or something!"
"A demon scared of a ghost, what a joke," turning her gaze away, Ophilia began walking away from Riley, and down toward the inn's entrance.
A bit curious about the old woman, Riley decided to ask her a few questions.
"Where are you going so late at night?" Her question, however, was simply ignored. "Fine, fine, I'll leave you alone."
Despite that promise, Riley faked going back to her room and instead turned invisible to follow the old lady. Going out the main entrance behind the witch, Riley watched as she made her way toward the river. There, as she got to the waters, she peered at her own reflection for an ungodly amount of time.
"You'll die you know…All of you," she mumbled before slowly turning to look right at where Riley stood. "If you keep going down this path, that's the only thing waiting for you."
"Everyone dies, we all know that," realizing that the woman can still see her, Riley undid her invisibility. "But what path are you talking about?"
"Oh, you'll know…You'll know," moving closer to Riley, the old witch simply placed her withered fingers on her arms before passing her by.
But in the brief moment that she did, the image of her own dagger stabbed into her throat flashed before her eyes. Astounded by the image, she couldn't figure out what she'd just seen. Was it a vision or another illusion by a damned witch?
"Wait!" She demanded.
"Nothing does, why should I?" But the witch didn't stop.
Standing alone under the night sky, Riley watched as the witch headed back into the hut. All the while in her mind, ran the image of her own dead self laying lifeless before the devil girl's eyes.
'Was that a warning? A warning of what could've happened if I tried to kill that girl?' Brushing it off of her mind, Riley headed back into the inn and laid beside her companions to get some rest.